Grocery Shopping

[ashleymosq]

Everyone just loves to grocery shop right? lol. So how do you do it? Do you go by a budget? Shop around for the best deals? Does the grocery store you go to have a weekly sale on different items? 

Depending on how much I have to spend will depend on if I go with a budget. I only go to one store because they have the best sales and prices. The quality of the food is a lot better than other stores here too. Every Wednesday they have a new sales ad that comes out. You can go online and see what they have on sale and see some of the stuff they have in store that has in store coupons. My favorite thing is the meal deals they have. You buy the meat and get a bunch of other stuff for sides for free. Sometimes the meals suck lol, but when they don't, it is an awesome way to get a meal for a good price.

[ashleymosq]

I know. I love it when they have awesome sales.

Quoting momofsixangels:

Quoting ashleymosq:

I love when the grocery store I go to has chicken on sale. They put other meats on sale sometimes too, but mostly chicken. There are times that I can stock up on some meats because they have it for $1 a lb. I got a huge pork roast for like .88 a lb. I still have half of it in my freezer lol.

Quoting lillucky8:

I go thru wkly circulars to decide what store to go to. Buy sale items, i check meat departments for items that have a soon sellby date and are marked down, and when chicken goes on sale i buy three or four family packs so i dont have to buy st reg price

Thats a super deal!

[ashleymosq]

That sounds so awesome. I bet that would make meal planning a lot more fun. BTW, I now wnat cabbage soup lol.

Quoting aubsmom09:

For the most part I think it is.  For example if I get cabbage I would either make cabbage soup, sautee it up as a side with other veggies or use it in fish tacos.  If I get some bell peppers I would either use it to make chili, put it in salad or sautee it up with some other veggies.  I like when I get things I don't normally buy like leeks.  It is fun to search for recipes to use that food up.

Quoting ashleymosq:

That sounds cool. Is it easier to plan meals around fruits and veggies?

Quoting aubsmom09:

I get a basket of fruits and veggies from a local co-op and meal plan around what I get. 

[Rushn311]

I do write  a list out, have some  kind of plan  as  to what I am buying but I always buy more. LOL I go to Super Walmart, so it has a bit of everything. I spend about $600 every two weeks between food, household items  and personal items. This includes going to Sams club, Pacemaker(for meats), Super Walmart and Woodmans.

[MamaJane]

I never pay for coupons. I just get the regular 2 newspapers(they are different) I would get anyway and my mom and fil give me theirs. I don't even print much because ink is expensive and a lot of the time ill end up not using the coupon.

I think just shopping ads really saves. I went to Kroger yesterday and saved 75 from their ad and 10 from coupons. I spent 103. An that was a big coupon day for me. Sometimes I don't have any or just a couple dollars.

Quoting ashleymosq:

Oh that sounds like an awesome plan. I need to get some coupons lol. I used to order them off of one site, but haven't in a while. I also used to print them out, again haven't in a while.

Quoting MamaJane:

 I go to one store for the most part.  Their ad comes out on Thursday and I go through it and look for sale items we use and especially sale items that match coupons I have.  I figure the price of each item I'm buying and add it up.  If I have money left in my budget then I will scan a few other store ads.  They may have one or 2 things on sale.  Then once a month with what's left over from each week's budget, I go to Aldis and stock up mostly on canned veggies and tomatoes and some produce. 

[lil_mama06]

I just go to the store and shop. usually Sherm's. They have better deals than walmart and they are locally owned. 

[MamaJane]

Wow that is good. I consider a good deal on pork to be under 2 lol. I have been seeing good deal on whole chicken pieces. I got .59/lb again yesterday.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I know. I love it when they have awesome sales.

Quoting momofsixangels:

Quoting ashleymosq:

I love when the grocery store I go to has chicken on sale. They put other meats on sale sometimes too, but mostly chicken. There are times that I can stock up on some meats because they have it for $1 a lb. I got a huge pork roast for like .88 a lb. I still have half of it in my freezer lol.

Quoting lillucky8:

I go thru wkly circulars to decide what store to go to. Buy sale items, i check meat departments for items that have a soon sellby date and are marked down, and when chicken goes on sale i buy three or four family packs so i dont have to buy st reg price

Thats a super deal!

[MamaJane]

Having a stocked pantry is actually a good way to budget. Then you just shop sales and stock up when a good price comes up. Then you always have your favorites around and can pick what you want to eat from what you have. Meal planning is nice because it takes some stress of your day.

Quoting momma-flynn:

I am so bad about it. I prefer to cook based on my mood & just keep a well stocked pantry. Budget wise, that's not the smartest move. I planned ahead for 3 of our meals this week, so that's a good start for me. DH & I both work full time & dd is in school, so I would only have to do supper plans.  

Quoting wandep:

Love meal planning. The way I do it is I plan a weekly meal for supper. I don't do breakfast and lunch. Then if for some reason we aren't in the mood for say Taco Tuesday's we can change it to another night.

Quoting momma-flynn:

I usually just buy whatever, but I have to be better about budgetting. I am forcing myself to start meal planning & shopping smarter. 

 

[MamaJane]

50 would be tough. But you do have younger kids. It makes a big difference when your kids start eating like adults lol. But it is nice when you don't have to be so tight anymore. It takes a huge stress off.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I am really glad I don't too. It was so hard. It was do-able, but very difficult and I wasn't able to get the extras like I can now. Yes everything does look good when you go hungry lol.

Quoting GypsiSky:

Wow... I'm glad you don't have to do that anymore too. Oh gosh, I don't like shopping when I'm hungry... EVERYTHING looks good then, lol.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I used to have a budget of $50 a week for a family of 4 for food and household items. I am so happy I don't anymore though. I do go once a week though. I get what I feel we need or if I am hungry when I go, what I think looks good for when I get home lol. 

Quoting GypsiSky:

For the way I eat, I'd starve if I tried to eat on a budget, lol. My husband and kids dont exactly eat like me, but they don't have a budget either. We just figure out what we want and go get it. For me, it's weekly shopping. Fr them, it's bi~weekly for the most part.

[ashleymosq]

My 5yr old can eat like a teenage boy lol. But yes it does help that they are younger. It took a lot of stress off when I didn't have to have such a tight budget anymore. I haven't had to look at the price of everything and put it in my calculator. I'm not having to put stuff back that I could figure out a substitue for that I already had. 

Quoting MamaJane:

50 would be tough. But you do have younger kids. It makes a big difference when your kids start eating like adults lol. But it is nice when you don't have to be so tight anymore. It takes a huge stress off.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I am really glad I don't too. It was so hard. It was do-able, but very difficult and I wasn't able to get the extras like I can now. Yes everything does look good when you go hungry lol.

Quoting GypsiSky:

Wow... I'm glad you don't have to do that anymore too. Oh gosh, I don't like shopping when I'm hungry... EVERYTHING looks good then, lol.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I used to have a budget of $50 a week for a family of 4 for food and household items. I am so happy I don't anymore though. I do go once a week though. I get what I feel we need or if I am hungry when I go, what I think looks good for when I get home lol. 

Quoting GypsiSky:

For the way I eat, I'd starve if I tried to eat on a budget, lol. My husband and kids dont exactly eat like me, but they don't have a budget either. We just figure out what we want and go get it. For me, it's weekly shopping. Fr them, it's bi~weekly for the most part.

[MamaJane]

Well my teenage boy eats like my husband! Lol well actually he eats as much as I do.

But yeah that is really frustrating, time consuming and down right annoying.

Quoting ashleymosq:

My 5yr old can eat like a teenage boy lol. But yes it does help that they are younger. It took a lot of stress off when I didn't have to have such a tight budget anymore. I haven't had to look at the price of everything and put it in my calculator. I'm not having to put stuff back that I could figure out a substitue for that I already had. 

Quoting MamaJane:

50 would be tough. But you do have younger kids. It makes a big difference when your kids start eating like adults lol. But it is nice when you don't have to be so tight anymore. It takes a huge stress off.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I am really glad I don't too. It was so hard. It was do-able, but very difficult and I wasn't able to get the extras like I can now. Yes everything does look good when you go hungry lol.

Quoting GypsiSky:

Wow... I'm glad you don't have to do that anymore too. Oh gosh, I don't like shopping when I'm hungry... EVERYTHING looks good then, lol.

Quoting ashleymosq:

I used to have a budget of $50 a week for a family of 4 for food and household items. I am so happy I don't anymore though. I do go once a week though. I get what I feel we need or if I am hungry when I go, what I think looks good for when I get home lol. 

Quoting GypsiSky:

For the way I eat, I'd starve if I tried to eat on a budget, lol. My husband and kids dont exactly eat like me, but they don't have a budget either. We just figure out what we want and go get it. For me, it's weekly shopping. Fr them, it's bi~weekly for the most part.